Chapter 7 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done. I waited. I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him. His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner. His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
Chapter 7 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.”
given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol
From this reading “His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.”
either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.”
increase the likelihood of
From this reading “I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.”
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading “His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “I waited.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.”
In this reading “He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.”
In this reading “His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.”
In this reading “He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.”
In this reading “He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
increase the likelihood of
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
not any; not one
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading His eyes finally rested on the drunken man in the corner.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
cut with a saw
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I waited.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He stepped a little way into the room and looked about, as I had done.
at the time that
From this reading His left eyelid drooped and drooped, as it always does when he is thinking intently.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I did not seem to care whether he saw me or not, but felt no desire to invite conversation with him.
Chapter 7 of Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 7 holds 403 sentences of Anthony the Absolute, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5602 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52507 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52507, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 466 minutes of reading across 1121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Anthony the Absolute section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Anthony the Absolute to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Anthony the Absolute, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
